Happy Melancholy
by Ash the Half-Ghost Hedgehog
Summary: Amy is a popular girl. Shadow is an outcast amongst outcasts. But when they're thrown together under the pretense of a school project, things rabidly begin to change for both highschool students. Danger lurks around the corner and the pair must put aside their differences if they wish to survive the coming storm...
1. Partners

_**Partners**_

"Art is an expression of the soul, your innermost feelings put into physical form, your secret thoughts revealed before the very eyes of the watching world."

Inwardly, many of the students groaned. They were all used to the poetic speeches of their art teacher, Lois Leonardo, but that didn't mean they grew to like them. Amy Rose, however, listened to the lion with wide and sparkling emerald green eyes, her ears soaking up every word he spoke.

"Your art is all about your personal perspective. It shows how you interpret the things and people of the world surrounding you. That is why two artists can see the same thing, yet construct two completely different pieces inspired by what they saw. And this," he paused, smiling his awkward, lopsided smile and straightening his black rimmed glasses. "brings us to our new project. What happens when you put two vastly different minds together to create one work of art? Beauty or absolute chaos? We will discover the answer to this by the end of two weeks."

"Two weeks?" someone exclaimed.

"Why yes. You can't rush brilliance, my dears. Now, as you have probably already guessed, this assignment will have you working in pairs to create a work of art inspired by something of your choosing. You must complete your pieces together, but you will be required to tell me your own individual part in your collective projects. Understand?"

Cream the Rabbit hesitantly raised her hand and Lois smiled kindly at her. "You have a question, Ms. Cream?"

"I was just wondering if we get to choose our own partners."

"Actually, I already picked out everyone's partner. April you will be paired with Fern, Oscar will be with Crystal-"

"Whew! Destiny strikes again!" the brown mouse burst out, throwing a fist into the air. A couple desks away, Crystal, a white wolf with startlingly beautiful turquoise orbs, sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Why is it always him..." she muttered.

Lois just smiled and continued. "Dusk will be with Sandra, Isaac will be with Titus, Cream will be with Miles..."

The cream and orange colored rabbit smiled shyly at the yellow-orange, two-tailed fox. He blushed and returned the smile.

"And lastly, Amy will be paired with Shadow."

A low chorus of gasps arose and whatever else Lois had to say went ignored as the teenagers began trading whispers back and forth. Her expression filled with concern, Cream looked back at her best friend only to find the pink hedgehog lost within a happy daydream.

"Amy?" she called. "Amy, did you hear?"

When Amy didn't respond, someone took it upon themselves to throw an eraser at her head. The action promptly got her attention.

"Ow, hey! Stop doing that, April!" Amy snapped.

The black cat dressed in gothic attire shrugged and smirked to herself.

"Um, Amy, did you hear what Mr. Lois said?" Cream inquired.

Pouting, the hedgehog rubbed the place where the eraser had hit her, upset at having been torn away from the wonderful daydream which had her paired up with Sonic. "No, what is it?"

"Well, he said-he said you're being paired with Shadow."

Her anger was suddenly forgotten. "What?"

At first she thought she had heard Cream wrong, but the way the floppy-eared rabbit was nervously chewing her lip told Amy otherwise.

The bell rang and most of the students were on their feet not a second later. Amy was left sitting speechless, though, her disbelieving eyes wide. Lois couldn't have been serious. He couldn't honestly pair her and Shadow together. That was a fate worse than death!

Slowly, she turned her head to the darkest corner of the classroom. There she found him, an ebony hedgehog cloaked entirely in black, his face hidden within the shadow of his hood as always. He was an outcast amongst outcasts, an enigma no-one wanted to figure out. Even the teachers didn't bother him, never addressing the student who carried such an ominous air about himself. His nickname was Kid Reaper because many believed he was the son of the murderous leader in charge of the city's biggest and baddest gang. Some even thought _he_ might be the leader of that gang. And now...he was Amy's partner...

...

Thank you for reading. Please leave a kind review if you enjoyed it.


	2. First Words

_**First Words**_

Within the halls of Station Square High, news spread with the speed of a lightning bolt.

"Amy, please tell me all these nitwits are just spewing their usual nonsense and you're not seriously paired with Shadow." said Blaze the Cat upon approaching Amy at her locker.

Amy sighed dejectedly. "I wish I could say that..."

The lavender cat's vivid amber eyes widened. "But...But how? Whenever the teachers pair us up for assignments, they never give anyone Shadow."

"This is the first time Lois ever gave us a partner to work with." Amy shrugged. "Maybe he didn't know about it."

"Does he live under a rock?"

"Mr. Lois doesn't always see things the way others see them." said Cream. "He has a...different perspective." she finished with a nervous smile.

Blaze grunted. "A warped perspective if you ask me. Did you talk to him about it, Amy?"

"I wanted to." sighed the pink hedgehog. "But Shadow is always the last to leave the room and I didn't want to approach Lois while he was listening."

The thought sent shivers up their spines. Shadow was more creepy than words could describe.

"Good luck, Amy!" a group of voices rang out over the chatter filling the crowded hallway. Blaze rolled her eyes, Cream smiled, and Amy sighed again, hanging her head and letting her shoulders droop. What was she to do?

"Hey, Ames!"

Her ears perked. Only one person she knew referred to her by that nickname.

Lifting her head, Amy's gaze landed on the beautiful form of the cobalt blue hedgehog who so often haunted her thoughts. He flashed her a dashing smile and she felt her heart melt into a puddle.

"Don't worry about it, Ames." he said. "I'll keep an eye out for ya."

"Th-Thanks, Sonic." she stammered, grinning like an idiot. He gave her a thumb's up before turning to leave and she watched him disappear amongst the mass of bustling teenagers. A dreamy sigh escaped her. In all her sixteen years, Amy had never met a boy as captivating as Sonic the Hedgehog. She would've happily stood there daydreaming about him forever, but her moment of bliss was soon shattered when Cream began to anxiously tap her arm.

"A-Amy, he's coming!" the rabbit whispered.

Amy jerked her head in the direction Cream was looking and drew a sharp breath. Sure enough, Shadow was headed her way, his dark presence quieting every person he neared.

"What are you going to do?" Cream asked.

"Do?" Amy repeated, quirking an eyebrow.

"Well, you _are _working on a project together." Blaze reminded her. "That means you kinda have to talk to him."

"T-Talk to him? You've gotta be kidding me!"

"He's here!" Cream alerted them and the trio immediately ceased their hushed conversation. Blaze started examining her fingernails and Cream took to studying her shoes, leaving Amy to handle the situation on her own.

"Oh, ah...H-Hey, Shadow..." she tried weakly. He continued walking, either not hearing her or just choosing to ignore the pink hedgehog. She pursed her lips. Talking to Shadow was the last thing she wanted to do, but Amy Rose wasn't the type to back down from a challenge. Clenching her fists, she squared her shoulders and mustered up her courage.

"Hey, Shadow!" she called again, this time her voice coming forth a bit too strongly. The hallway grew silent. Shadow stopped.

Amy ignored the blush she could feel heating her cheeks and pressed onwards. "I, uh, just wanted to know when you wanted to, you know, get together. For our project that is."

He said nothing. Despite his pose remaining lax with his hands stuck in his jean pockets and his head low, his aura held a threatening quality that everyone was able to feel. Amy swallowed, her confidence faltering.

"Um, I was thinking maybe we could meet in the library, you know? It's pretty quiet there and, um...Well..." she trailed off. Perhaps she had made a mistake here.

To her surprise, though, he didn't simply disregard her and leave. Instead the mysterious hedgehog looked over his shoulder and Amy caught a glint of crimson beneath his hood.

"Be there first thing after school." he spoke, his voice deep and soft, though lacking the slightest trace of warmth. "I won't wait more than five minutes for you."

Without giving the stunned girl a chance to respond, he then started forward once more. Anyone who stood in his path was quick to clear the area. Finally, after he had exited the school doors, the tense atmosphere inside the building was allowed to decompress.

"Way to go, Amy!" a boy shouted and many cheered their agreement.

"Amy, you were so amazing!" Cream gushed, admiration filling her cinnamon brown eyes.

"That was pretty cool." Blaze admitted.

Her heart still racing and her eyes still wide, quite a few feelings were bombarding Amy, none of them good. Something was very wrong about Shadow and she feared she might be the one to figure out what it was.

"Guys..." she spoke at length. "I think I'm gonna be sick..."

...

Thank you for taking the time to read my first chapter aliciathewolf45, ShadowsAngel1, XSophieBlackRoseX, mystery8icarus, and uchihathehedgehog. Your support is very much appreciated. I hope you enjoyed this second chapter everyone. Do not be shy to tell me what you think.


	3. Hide and Sneak

_**Hide and Sneak**_

Amy didn't know what possessed her to suggest the school library as the place where she and Shadow should meet. Ever since yesterday she had been berating herself for this thoughtless action. Interacting with the creepy hedgehog was bad enough on its own, but now she would have to do so in a room where they would pretty much be alone together.

By time Amy reached the library, Shadow was already seated at a small, circular table. She had expected to sense great vibes of irritation radiating off him, but the air surrounding the teenager was oddly normal, almost peaceful. This did little to pacify Amy's nervous feelings, though.

Peeking around a shelf, the pink hedgehog mentally debated whether or not to approach Shadow. The guy was just too weird for her liking. Then again, ditching him meant failing her assignment, a thought which didn't sit well with her. She had her reputation as a top notch student to uphold, after all. Plus, art was her favorite subject.

"Are you planning on hiding there forever?" Shadow suddenly spoke. Amy jumped and released a startled gasp, her muscles becoming rigid and her heartbeat quickening. How had he known she was there when he never even looked up?

Embarrassment shortly replaced her shock, however, and she hurriedly composed herself.

"Sorry for making you wait." she said as she walked towards the table. He was silent.

Amy set her navy blue backpack on the floor and pulled out a chair across from Shadow.

"So, how was your day?" she asked lamely, sitting down and putting her hands in her lap to hide her fidgeting fingers. The ebony hedgehog didn't say a word. His arms folded over his chest and his head low, she would've thought him asleep if he hadn't spoken before.

"Well, uh, my day was pretty good. I spent a lot of time brainstorming ideas for our project yesterday and I think I have a good one if you're interested."

Shadow remained unresponsive. Amy pursed her lips.

"Alrighty then, I'll just show you what I've got, 'k?" She reached down, unzipped her backpack, and lifted a stack of DVDs out of it. "Since Lois said we could use anything to base our piece on, I was thinking of creating something inspired by classic films. They really don't make movies like they use to, you know."

Silence. Still smiling, Amy placed her DVDs in the center of the table.

"Have you seen any of these?"

A long moment passed in which Shadow did nothing. But just as Amy felt her patient facade about to crumble, he moved his arm and grabbed the DVD on top of the stack. After studying the front cover, he set the case aside and picked up the next DVD on the stack. His examination of the films went slowly, yet he eventually looked at them all. Once he finished this task, he stood, scooped the plastic cases into his arms, and proceeded to walk away. His actions bemused Amy to near speechlessness.

"Sha-Shadow-"

"Be here first thing after school." he cut her off, the coldness of his voice sending an eerie chill through her. "I won't wait more than five minutes for you."

He then paused his steps, turning his head slightly in Amy's direction.

"And you should tell your friends that they don't need to sneak around. Even though we're having our meetings here, this library is open to all students of this school."

Amy furrowed her brow quizzically. "What?"

His words were made clear a few seconds following his departure when Cream, Blaze, and Sonic reluctantly shuffled out from their hiding place behind a shelf. Cream fiddled nervously with one of her floppy ears, Blaze had her arms crossed and was trying to appear nonchalant, and Sonic grinned guiltily.

"Hey, Ames." the blue hedgehog waved. "This was all Cream's idea."

"It was not!" the short rabbit protested, a bright red coloring her muzzle.

Amy merely groaned and dropped her head to the table. It was hard to imagine her and Shadow's meetings going any better in the future.

...

It brings me great joy to know so many are enjoying this story. Thank you aliciathewolf45, brookdalebunny, ShadowsAngel1, Guest, uchihathehedgehog, tfandanimefan, Shadowy Nights, Aishisu Howaito, and Princess Dark-Rose for your wonderful support. And a big thank you to all my anonymous readers as well. I hope everyone keeps reading.


	4. Zombie Weather I

_**Zombie Weather I**_

A multitude of dark clouds gathered above the city of Station Square overnight, blanketing the entire sky by Friday morning. Throughout the school day it drizzled sporadically, but when it came time for Amy to join Shadow in the library, the rain was pouring down at its hardest. She took this as a bad omen.

"Hey, Shadow." Amy faked a smile, walking to their table. "I see you brought back my movies."

Shadow had taken the same seat he had chosen yesterday and was again posed with his arms folded and his head low. Amy dropped her backpack and settled in the chair across from him, concealing her hands underneath the table.

"So, how was your day?" Despite figuring he wouldn't respond, she felt a need to keep up a polite exterior.

"I had a pretty good day myself, though all this rain is kinda bumming me out." she told him. Her emerald green eyes gave the room a quick scan, hoping to catch a glimpse of her friends. She would feel a lot more comfortable knowing she wasn't alone with Shadow.

"The weather has been rather dreary." Shadow's deep voice remarked out of the blue. Jumping in her seat, Amy snapped her head around to stare wide-eyed at her ebony companion.

"Did you...Did you say that?" she tentatively asked him.

"You don't see anyone else here, do you?"

The pink hedgehog blushed. "Oh, I, uh, guess not. Silly me." She attempted a pleasant smile, but his ominous aura was thoroughly unnerving her, causing her lips to end up forming a wobbly line. "Sorry, I can be a bit absent-minded sometimes."

He made no further comment.

Inhaling a deep breath, Amy tried to calm her emotions.

"S-So..." she began, believing it was a good time for a change of topic. "About our project..."

Except for the rain pelting the library windows, the room was uncomfortably quiet. Amy swallowed. A scene from a horror movie she had watched yesterday popped in her head and she shuddered realizing how similar her situation looked to that scene. Two kids, a girl and a guy, had been sitting and talking in a dark room while it stormed outside, both of them oblivious to the zombies creeping up on them. The girl had gotten torn apart...

Amy wrinkled her nose. She hated how females were always weak and stupid in horror movies. If a zombie ever dared to try sinking its nasty choppers into her flesh, she would bash its undead head until it was...well, dead.

And what about Shadow? Would he run away like the boy in the movie, leaving her to fight the zombies alone? For some reason Amy didn't think so. She instead imagined him as the type of person who was never frightened even when staring into the face of death itself. He would probably keep a supply of loaded guns in the pocket of his hoodie, ready to riddle any threat with bullets.

A small smile played on her lips. Between the two of them, the zombies wouldn't stand a chance.

"Rose..."

She blinked, returning to reality. A blush rose to her cheeks once she realized she had been daydreaming.

"Oh, uh, sorry. I guess I kinda zoned out there." she smiled self-consciously, massaging the back of her neck. "Um...Oh, right. The project. Do you have anything for it?"

"...Yes..."

That surprised her. "Oh, good. What is it?"

There was a long silence after her question. The air grew thick with tension to the point where Amy felt like she was being smothered by it. She wasn't sure if her imagination was overacting or if it really was becoming difficult to breathe.

Slowly, Shadow unfolding his arms and reached into the pocket of his hoodie. He made a motion to pull something out from inside it, but paused. Amy furrowed her brow.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

A loud clap of thunder shook the room and the rain started hitting the windows harder. The pink hedgehog frowned at the worsening weather and then turned her attention back to Shadow, who was now holding a folded piece of paper out to her.

Raising an eyebrow, Amy sent him a curious look before removing the paper from his loose grasp. But in the process of doing this, she noticed something startling. Shadow the Hedgehog was...shaking.

His hand retreated and her eyes flew to the deep shadow where his face hid. For the first time, she had a strong desire to see the boy beneath the hood.

"I have to go." he abruptly declared and stood. "I'll see you next week."

Amy merely watched his hasty departure, the tension in the room dying down the moment he was gone. Part of her didn't believe what she had just witnessed, but the other part was certain she had seen correctly. Shadow's hand had been quivering. He had been nervous. Really, really nervous.

...

A big thank you to ShadowsAngel1, aliciathewolf45, Shadowy Nights, X-Zendaya, DarkPrincessDream, Princess Dark-Rose, mewfatima, Jun-Amy196, Maga Valkyria, Goblin Girl, and Project Shadow for reading my story thus far. This is my first serious try at a highschool setting, but I am trying to make it something different than what you would usually see in this genre. I hope my writing will continue to interest everyone.

Thank you so much for reading and please leave a review if you have any comments or criticisms.


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